c°pv 1 ;ONSTITUTION 
i AND BY-LA^A^S 1 

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OF THE 



LITCHFIELD 
HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY 



LITCHFIELD, CONN. 

1914 



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CONSTITUTION 

AETICLE I. 

Name. Tlie name of this association is '' The 
Litchfield Historical Society." 

ARTICLE 11. 

Objects. The object of the Society is to dis- 
cover, procure and preserve whatever may relate 
to civil, military, literary and ecclesiastical his- 
tory and biography in general and of the County 
of Litchfield in the State of Connecticut in par- 
ticular ; to investigate and preserve such tradi- 
tions as now exist only in the memory of aged 
persons ; to establish and maintain a library for 
for general reference ; also procure and maintain 
collections in archeology, art and of the natural 
history of Litchfield County and in general to 
encourage study and research, particularly that 
relating to local history, biography, antiquities 
and natural history and to disseminate informa- 
tion relative thereto. 

ARTICLE III. 

Memhers. The Society shall consist of mem- 
bers and honorary members. Members only 
shall be eligible to vote, or liold office in the 
Society. 



ARTICLE IV. 

Officers. The officers of the Societj^ are : a 
President, four Vice-Presidents, ranking in the 
order of tlieir election ; a Corresponding Secre- 
i2iV)\ a Hecording Secretary, a Treasurer, and 
five Managers, wlio shall be known collectively 
as the Board of Officers ; and shall in addition 
to their specified duties exercise general super- 
vision over the aifairs of the Society. 

articlp: v. 

Librarian and Curator. A Librarian and 
a Curator shall be appointed by the Board of 
Officers. Both offices rhay be held by the same 
person. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Annual Meeting. The Society shall hold an 
annual meeting on the second Friday in Au- 
gust in each year, at which a general election of 
Officers by ballot shall take place. In such elec- 
tion a majority of ballots given for any officer 
shall' constitute a choic6 ; but if on the first bal- 
lot no member shall receive such majority, then 
a further balloting shall take place in which a 
plurality of votes given for any officer shall de- 
termine the choice. 

ARTICLE VIL 

Special meetings. Special meetings of the 
Society may be called at any time by the Presi- 
dent, or any Vice-Pi'esident acting in his place, 
upon the written re^piest of any five niembers of 
the Society ; notice of such special meeting being 
mailed to all members at least two davs before 
the day appointed for the meetinfy. 



ARTICLE VIII. 

Vacancies. If a vacancy shall happen in any 
of the offices of the Society, it may be filled by 
special election at a special meeting of the So- 
ciety ; and the member so elected to fill a vacancy^ 
shall hold his office for the unexpired term of his 
immediate predecessor in office, and until a suc- 
cessor shall be elected and have qualified in his 
place. Vacancies in committees shtiU be filled 
immediately on their occurrence and in the man- 
ner of the original appointment of the com- 
mittee. 

ARTICLE IX. 

Museum and Library. The library and 
collections made by the Society shall never be 
disposed of by sale, nor by division among its 
members, nor shall any of the books, articles, or 
specimens belonging thereto be exchanged or 
disposed of except by the unanimous vote of the 
officers and with the written consent of their 
donors. 

ARTICLE X. 

Alteration of Constitution. This Constitu- 
tion with the exception of the ninth Article, 
(which is of the nature of a contract,) may be 
altered by a three-fourths vote of the members 
present at any annual meeting ; provided that 
notice of such amendment shall have been given 
at some meeting and subsequently sent by mail 
to all members, at least one month previously. 



BY-LAWS. 

OOVERNMEJ^T. 

1. The executive government of the Society 
shall be conducted by its officers and the Librarian 
and Curator. 

There shall be a linance committee to con- 
sist of the President and Treasurer, ex-officio and 
one of the five Manasjers to be chosen by the 
Board of Officers, No salaried officer shall have 
-a vote at any meeting of the Board of Officers. 

PRESIDENT. 

2. The President, when present shall pre- 
side over all the meetinorg of the Societv, aud of 
the Board of Officers. He shall have the casting 
vote. He shall appoint all committees author- 
ized by the Society, unless otherwise specially 
ordered, and shall make a report at the annual 



meeting: 



VICE-PRESIDENTS. 



3. The ranking Vice-President present shall 
act as President in the absence from the meeting 
of that officer. 

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 

4. The Corresponding Secretary shall con- 
duct the general correspondence of the Society 
connected with its objects. He shall at every 
meeting of the Board of Officers report all such 
letters and communications as may have been 
received by him on matters connected with the 
Society, He shall keep in suitai)le books copies 

6 



of all letters written by liiiu on behalf of the 
Society, and shall carefully preserve said copies 
and the originals of all letters and documents 
received, and shall deposit the same in the So- 
ciety archives. 

RECORDING SECRETARY. 

5. The Recording Secretary shall conduct the 
business correspondence of the Society ; he shall 
have charge of the seal and of all records of the 
Society other than those appertaining to the of- 
fice of the Corresponding Secretary. He together 
with the presiding officer shall certify all acts of 
the Society, and under his direction shall give 
due notice of the time and place of all meetings 
of the Society, and attend the same. He shall 
keep accurate and fair records of all proceedings 
and orders of the Society and Board of Officers, 
and shall give notice (written) to the several offi- 
cers, committees and members of all votes, orders 
and proceedings of the Society appertaining to 
their respective duties or immediately affecting 
them. 

TREASURER. 

6. The Treasurer shall collect and be the 
custodian of all funds and securities of the So- 
ciety. Out of these funds he shall pay only 
such sums as may be approved by the finance 
committee of the Board of Officers. He shall 
keep a true account of his receipts and payments; 
and render the same to the Society at its annual 
meeting, when a committee shall be appointed 
to audit his accounts. 

The Treasurer shall give a bond for the safe 
keeping of the funds or securities of the Society 
in his charge. The amount of the bond to be 
fixed by the Board of Officers at least once in 
every year. No investment of the funds of the 



Society shall be made without the approval oj 
the Board of Officers. 

7. If froni'the annual report of the Treas- 
urer there shall appear to l)e a balance against 
the treasury, no appropriation of money shall be 
made for any object but the necessary current 
expenses of the Society, until such balance shall 
be paid. 

LIBRARIAN. 

8. The Librarian, subject to the control of 
the Board of Officers, shall have the charge and 
superintendence of the library and art collec- 
tion of the Society. lie shall prepare and keep 
a proper catalogue and list of the same. He 
shall make to the Society at each annual meeting 
a full report on the condition and progress of the 
library and art collection. The Librarian or 
some officer of the Society shall always be pres- 
ent when the library is open. He shall prepare 
regulations for the use of the library to be ap- 
])roved by the Board of Officers. 

CURATOR. 

[). The Curator, subject to the control of the 
Board of Officers, shall have charge of the arch- 
eolosical and natural historv museum of the 
Society. He shall prepare and keep a proper 
catalogue and list of the same. He shall make 
to the Society at each annual meeting a full re- 
])ort on the condition and progress of the collec- 
tion under his charge. The Curator or some 
officer or member appointed by the Board of 
Officers temporarily in his stead, shall be present 
when the museum is open. He shall prepare 
regulations for tlie use of the museum to be ap- 
])roved by the Board of Officers. 



MEMBERS. 

10. Annual members shall be chosen by a 
majority of the Board of Officers and shall pay 
on admission an initiation fee of two dollars 
which shall be considered to include their annual 
dues for the current year; and annually there- 
after one dollar in advance on or before the first 
day of September. 

11. Should any annual member fail to pay 
the said dues for two years successively he shall 
no longer be a member of the Society. 

12. Any member who is not indebted to the 
Society for current annual dues, may commute 
for life all fees and dues by the payment at one 
time of the sum of twenty dollars. 

13. By the unanimous vote of the Board of 
Officers the name of a member shall be erased 
from the list of members and he shall cease to be 
a member, providing that, if such member may 
have commuted his dues for life, the amount of 
such commutation shall then be returned to him. 

HONORARY MEMBERS. 

14. Honorary members may onl}^ be chosen 
by ballot at the annual meeting of the Society, 
upon nomination by the Board of Officers and by 
an affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the 
members ])resent. 

MEETINGS. 

15. In addition to the annual meeting there 
shall be held in every year at least two meetings 
of the Society for the transaction of business and 
for the reading and discussing of papers apper- 
taining to its objects. 

16. The Board of Officers shall meet specially 
for the transaction ot business at least six times 
in every year. 

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ORDER OF BUSINESS. 

17. Tlie order of proceedings at tiie meetings 
of the Society shall be as follows : 

1. Reading the minutes of the preceeding 
meeting. 

2. lleportc and communications from officers 
of the Society. 

3. Reports of regular committees. 

4. Reports of special committees. 

5. Consideration of and action on iiniinished 
business. 

G. Consideration of and action on new l)usi- 
ness. 

7. Election of members. 

8. Miscellaneous business. 

9. Reading and discussion of papers and the 
delivery of addresses. 

The order of business for meetings of the 
Board of Officers shall be a.>^ follows: 

1. Calling the roll. 

2. Reading of minutes of last meeting. 

3. Proposals for membership. 

4. Election to membership. 

5. Reports of officers. 

0. Reports of committees. 

7. Unfinished business. 

8. Reading of communications. 

9. New business. 



QUORUM. 

IS. At all meetings of the Society ten mem- 
bers shall constitute a (piorum. At all meetings 
of the J^oard of Officers five members shall con- 
stitute a quorum, for the transaction of business. 
10 



19. Alterations in these By-Laws may be 
made only by a two-thirds vote of the members 
present at a regular meeting of the Society upon 
recommendation of the Board of Officers, after 
having been proposed at a previous meeting. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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